Dawn's Light by Terri Blackstock Read Free Book Online Page B

and the ability to go invisible tonight!

 

    thirteen
    D ENI TOOK ONE LAST LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND GAVE HER self a thumbs-up. At least the three-quarter-length sleeves covered her T-shirt tan. She slathered on some lip gloss, wondering where Mark was taking her. It wasn't like they could go out to dinner or a movie. But Mark had promised her a memorable night in celebration of the burned-out star.
    She bounced downstairs and found him waiting like a prom date in the living room. He held a bouquet of pansies, the stems wrapped in tin foil.
    “Mark, are those for me?”
    He grinned. “I know they're corny. But I wanted you to have them.”
    She took them and breathed in their scent. Mark's eyes had that Cary Grant glint, like he had a secret.
    “You look like a movie star tonight,” she said. “Like one of those hunka-hunka heartthrobs who can't go out without paparazzi.”
    “Wow. So do you,” he said, laughing. “You ready for the red carpet?” He pulled her close and pressed a kiss on her lips.
    She slid her arms around his neck and rose up on her toes.
    “Go ahead and tell me,” he said with a grin. “You love me, don't you?”
    She laughed softly against his lips. “How could I not?”
    He stroked her hair and smiled.
    “So where are you taking me?”
    “How about a boat ride?”
    “That sounds fun.”
    He pushed off from the couch. “Well, let's go, then. My yacht awaits.”
    His yacht, she knew, was a patched-up rowboat that hung in his garage. But that was yacht enough for her.
    As they went to the door, they heard a car outside. She looked through the glass. It was a white Malibu, one she hadn't seen around before. “Is that car coming here?”
    Mark opened the door, and they both stepped out onto the porch as it pulled into their driveway. The driver got out. Deni watched as he came around the car. “Hi, babe,” he said. “It's me!”
    Deni caught her breath at the sight of her ex-fiancé.

 

    fourteen
    “ C RAIG ?” H IS APPEARANCE WAS SO UNEXPECTED THAT Deni froze. “What are you doing here?”
    He held out his hands, presentation-style. “I'm moving here!”
    “What?”
    “I'll tell you all about it, if I can get a hug.”
    He looked like she remembered in the days before the Pulses—the young VIP in a tailored suit, hair cut short and jaw clean-shaven. But somehow those polished good looks didn't appeal to her now. She didn't need this twist in her relationship with Mark.
    When she didn't step off the porch, he stepped up and hugged her.
    Deni glanced apologetically at Mark. Craig followed her gaze.
    Mark's posture straightened as he shook Craig's hand. He was a good four inches taller than Craig. “Nice to see you again,” he lied in a cool voice.
    “You too.” Craig's tone was just as cool. Turning back to Deni, he said, “I was just appointed as a regional advisor for the Department of Energy, to work on the Alabama Recovery Team.” A self-conscious grin took over his face. “Man, you look gorgeous.”
    Mark looked at the ground, his jaw popping. The scar on his forehead seemed redder. Deni took Mark's hand, laced her fingers through his. “Mark and I were about to go out. He's taking me for a boat ride.”
    The tension in Mark's jaw seemed to melt, and he looked up. Craig met his eyes. Challenging.
    “Nice night for it.” Craig glanced toward the door. “Hey, I've been driving since the wee hours. They deployed us as soon as they knew the Pulses had ended. You think your parents would mind putting me up for a few days?”
    No, she thought. That would be absurd, having her ex-fiancé living in her house while she dated someone else. “Wouldn't you rather be in Birmingham? Surely your office won't be in Crockett.”
    “Actually, it is. I convinced them to set up here.”
    The words spoke volumes, and Deni knew this wasn't an arbitrary decision. He had come here for her. Hadn't her rejection of his train ticket to Washington been enough to convince him she wasn't